1. Field of the Invention:
This invention relates, in general to security systems and, specifically, to security systems for controlling the access of a single individual into a predetermined area and, even more specifically, to security systems for controlling access to a pre-determined area based on a video comparison of an individual's face and photograph on an identification badge.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Security systems have been devised to control the passage or access of people into and out of homes, buildings and factories so as to prevent unauthorized entry and to maintain control over the number of people entering and leaving such facilities. Previously, human guards have been positioned at each entrance of a building or factory in order to manually screen people entering and leaving the building by a variety of methods, i.e., personal recognition or sight identification of a badge, identification card, etc. While effective, positioning a guard at each entrance is cost prohibitive in buildings having a large number of entrances since one guard must be maintained at each entrance for extended periods, sometimes on a twenty-four hour basis.
In an effort to reduce security costs, automatic or semi-automatic security systems have been devised to automatically control access to a building or factory. Such systems typically mount a camera adjacent each building entrance which transmits an image of an individual requesting entrance into the building to a centrally located control station where a single guard makes a decision based upon personal recognition and/or conversation with the individual via speakers.
Cameras have also been combined with badge or identification card readers which are located at each building entrance to provide a more positive identification of individuals requesting entrance to a building. Such face badge readers receive an individual's identification card bearing his photograph. A camera mounted in the face badge reader scans the card and transmits a video image of the photograph on the card is compared by the guard with an image of the individual's face which is transmitted from a second camera also located at the building entrance.
While such systems provide positive identification of an individual before ingress or egress is permitted and substantially reduce the number of individual guards required to survey all entrances into a building, they are not without drawbacks.
In such previous devised video based identification systems, individual wires are connected between each control device at each building entrance, such as door strikes, camera movement controls, call pushbuttons, speakers, etc., and the central control unit. In buildings having a large number of entrances, the large number of wires run from each entrance to the central control unit increases the cost of the security system and reduces its flexibility since additional control devices which may be added in the future at each building entrance require additional wiring. Furthermore, the circuit elements in the central control unit required to receive and handle each control signal from a plurality of entrances result in a large, complex and expensive central control unit.
Thus, it would be desirable to provide a security system for controlling access of an individual into a pre-determined area which overcomes the problems attendent the use of previously devised building access security systems. It would also be desirable to provide a security system which includes minimal wiring connections between security and control devices located at each building entrance and a centrally located control unit. It would also be desirable to provide a security system for controlling access into a pre-determined area which can be easily modified to handle additional security devices. Finally, it would be desirable to provide a security system for controlling access into a pre-determined area which is easily adaptable for controlling multiple building entrances.